NationStates Jolt Archive

Anyone wanting official documentation as to their status of genius need look no further; pending your sucessfull solving of this devilishly fiendish maths puzzle! Not one of the maths staff at my school knew the answer, or any of the AS class. (If you do know the answer, don't put it on straight away and spoil it or we may be forced to come round to your house and overturn your tables and paint the walls in clashing colours.)

A hunter walks south one mile, starting at base camp.

He sees a bear, and runs one mile east.

He then stops and runs north one mile and arrives back at base camp (no mistakes here, it's true!)

What colour was the bear?

It is solvable, there aren't any mistakes, and the solution does not involve wizards.

edit: Oops, only read the problem ;)
I might've heard this before.

white

So base camp is at least one mile wide?
What time did he start running?
What time did he arrive?
Was it raining or snowing or...

With this data I could solve it

you have a tg

you have a tg
How come you never send me a TG? Huh? Huh? Huh? :p

oops >brown

"Who wants to be a genius?"

Whaddaya mean, "wants to be?" I already am! :p

Who the hell hunts that far north?




Yes I know the answer.

I thought so too.
But what if it is snowing? then there would be no bears unless they were polar bears (in winter brown and black bears hibernate)

How come you never send me a TG? Huh? Huh? Huh? :p
I always send you tgs! and if i sent you what i thought the answer is would you be able to tell me if i'm right? i doubt it

White, well technicly black but the fur is hollow and reflects light, making it appear white.

Answer is as follows:
I'm gonna say the bear was black. And his Base Camp was on top of a hill/mountain. Edit: Or He was at the North pole and it was a polar bear which has black skin and clear fur. It only appears white because of the light it reflects.

cant be a polar bear, there are no mountains on the ice. so as in my answer above.

the bear could be brown or black

Gods, that "puzzle" is as old as the hills. You reckon you couldn't find anyone who could solve it? They must all be six years old and/or have never been on the internet in their lives not to have come across this one before.

Actually, come to think of it, I heard this one way before the internet even existed - I seem to remember being given it as a brain-teaser in high school (a long, long time ago...).

cant be a polar bear, there are no mountains on the ice. so as in my answer above.

the bear could be brown or black
maybe he's not on a mountain, the only place on earth in which one can go south, east and then north and return to his starting position is the North Pole, because the longitudes meet there so the bear must be a polar bear cause he must be at the north pole

maybe he's not on a mountain, the only place on earth in which one can go south, east and then north and return to his starting position is the North Pole, because the longitudes meet there so the bear must be a polar bear cause he must be at the north pole

YAY! Give the girl a doggie bikkie. :)

As for the rest of you... :rolleyes:

White, well technicly black but the fur is hollow and reflects light, making it appear white.
You and the dude beneath you get the super award, if anyone's askin' me.

Not only where you nerdy enough to figure it out (and yes, this is sour grapes because I figured it out too and didn't get a chance to respond) but you came extra with some zooilogical nerdness about the fur. You're the tops.



Now give me your lunch money.

Not only where you nerdy enough to figure it out (and yes, this is sour grapes because I figured it out too and didn't get a chance to respond) but you came extra with some zooilogical nerdness about the fur.

What do you mean, "figured it out"? What's to figure out? This thing has been around for OVER 20 YEARS!!!! Is there anyone on this planet who hasn't already come across it a million times? Sheesh.

What do you mean, "figured it out"? What's to figure out? This thing has been around for OVER 20 YEARS!!!! Is there anyone on this planet who hasn't already come across it a million times? Sheesh.

To tell the truth this is the first time I have seen it. So grab a life will ya.

Is the bear armed?

To tell the truth this is the first time I have seen it. So grab a life will ya.

It's just that stupidity in all its forms irritates me, and claiming that this is some fiendishly difficult puzzle that has to be sweated over rates, so far as I'm concerned. He may as well have put up the Sphinx's puzzle - they're both as old as each other. (And please tell me you've heard of THAT one, at least. You know: what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day and three legs in the evening. The polar bear "puzzle" has to be at least as well known as that one.)

I'd stay and chat more, but I have to get to work. Then after work there's a Christmas party I'm going to with my husband... oh yeah, that "life" that I apparently don't have. Ah well, enjoy your day tooling around the NS forums while I go live my life. :)

I always send you tgs! and if i sent you what i thought the answer is would you be able to tell me if i'm right? i doubt it
Of course I would, you twit! :D

It's just that stupidity in all its forms irritates me, and claiming that this is some fiendishly difficult puzzle that has to be sweated over rates, so far as I'm concerned. He may as well have put up the Sphinx's puzzle - they're both as old as each other. (And please tell me you've heard of THAT one, at least. You know: what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day and three legs in the evening. The polar bear "puzzle" has to be at least as well known as that one.)

I'd stay and chat more, but I have to get to work. Then after work there's a Christmas party I'm going to with my husband... oh yeah, that "life" that I apparently don't have. Ah well, enjoy your day tooling around the NS forums while I go live my life. :)


Yeah, I have heard the sphinx one before just not the bear one. I guess i'm not all up on Word Puzzles.

Yes I am teh super nerd.

Actually, you can also solve this problem using the south pole in which case the bear would be typically be pink as it's an hallucination.

how can it be the south pole when the bear goes south first? it isn't possible to go further south than the south pole...

Being able to solve mathematical problems doesn't mean shìt :rolleyes:
Every pocket calculator can calculate a huge deal faster and always 100% correct compared to a human. Likewise with more complex stuff which can be solved much faster by a computer. So that's really no sign of intelligence :rolleyes:
Real intelligence is e.g. required in the linguistical field. The results of machine translation are ridiculous at best, you need actual wits here! :cool:

Also, I don't need to want to be one, I am a genius! :D

Being able to solve mathematical problems doesn't mean shìt :rolleyes:
Every pocket calculator can calculate a huge deal faster and always 100% correct compared to a human. Likewise with more complex stuff which can be solved much faster by a computer. So that's really no sign of intelligence :rolleyes:
Real intelligence is e.g. required in the linguistical field. The results of machine translation are ridiculous at best, you need actual wits here! :cool:

Also, I don't need to want to be one, I am a genius! :D

Did you read the problem it was not a math problem at all.

Did you read the problem it was not a math problem at all.
Every problem is, at base, a problem in mathematics. :p

Every problem is, at base, a problem in mathematics. :p

What a cop out.:D

It's just that stupidity in all its forms irritates me, and claiming that this is some fiendishly difficult puzzle that has to be sweated over rates, so far as I'm concerned. He may as well have put up the Sphinx's puzzle - they're both as old as each other. (And please tell me you've heard of THAT one, at least. You know: what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day and three legs in the evening. The polar bear "puzzle" has to be at least as well known as that one.)

I'd stay and chat more, but I have to get to work. Then after work there's a Christmas party I'm going to with my husband... oh yeah, that "life" that I apparently don't have. Ah well, enjoy your day tooling around the NS forums while I go live my life. :)
Ignorance is not the same as stupidity. Just because have encountered this problem on many occasions before does not mean it is an easy pproblem to solve the first time you encounter it. And it does not mean that everyone else has encountered it before.

Unless you are talking about the people that said he must be up a mountain. Then I'd have to agree that there is an element of stupidity there, is very little excuse for mistaking north and up.

Well since everyone seems to know that the answer is white I guess it's safe to start explaining why.

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd4/85818/001np.jpg

Figuring out this puzzle doesn't mean you're supersmart, nor does not figuring it out make you and idiot. It's one of those trick questions that force us to percieve the world other than what we normally would in order to find the answer. As lines of longitude approach the North and South poles they become distorted and closer together. Sure, everyone knows this. Lines of latitude, on the other hand remain evenly spaced. This results in having nice squares in your 'grid' when you are closer to the equator and then triangles when you approach the poles. In order to get back to the same starting point in three moves, a person has to be travelling on a triangular path, yet as per the puzzle, still be going true north and south. This is only possible at the North Pole since the last leg of the journey required the person traveling to go North to get to the start/end point. The bear thing was actually a huge hint rather than the pointless question it seemed.

how can it be the south pole when the bear goes south first? it isn't possible to go further south than the south pole...
Using the south pole not starting at it... damn it why did I delete that post

Ok... there is a point just north of the south pole (approximately 1/6 miles) where if you circle the south pole for one mile you will end up exactly where you started. The hunters base camp would have to be one mile north of that again. Thus 1 1/6Miles north of the south pole.

USING the south pole NOT STARTING at the south pole.

I've never heard that riddle before and i've been on the internet for 5 years. Didnt take me long to work out though. Is your school a "special" school?

It's just that stupidity in all its forms irritates me, and claiming that this is some fiendishly difficult puzzle that has to be sweated over rates, so far as I'm concerned. He may as well have put up the Sphinx's puzzle - they're both as old as each other. (And please tell me you've heard of THAT one, at least. You know: what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs during the day and three legs in the evening. The polar bear "puzzle" has to be at least as well known as that one.)

I'd stay and chat more, but I have to get to work. Then after work there's a Christmas party I'm going to with my husband... oh yeah, that "life" that I apparently don't have. Ah well, enjoy your day tooling around the NS forums while I go live my life. :)
Oh yeah! A nerd tizzy! You pulled ahead.

Oh yeah! A nerd tizzy! You pulled ahead.

hehe Yeah, I kinda lost the plot a bit yesterday, but hey - nerds of the world unite!

How is it that nobody in your math department could solve that? It's really pretty easy.

Being able to solve mathematical problems doesn't mean shìt :rolleyes:
Every pocket calculator can calculate a huge deal faster and always 100% correct compared to a human. Likewise with more complex stuff which can be solved much faster by a computer. So that's really no sign of intelligence :rolleyes:
Real intelligence is e.g. required in the linguistical field. The results of machine translation are ridiculous at best, you need actual wits here! :cool:

Also, I don't need to want to be one, I am a genius! :D

That's not totally correct. Calculators can only solve certain types of math problems, and computers are only as correct as two people - the programmer and the person inputting the data. Therefore, no machine is 100% correct because they are reliant on human programming. They may get very close to 100%, because they do not make logical errors unless the programmer does. Just my two cents.

Ah, children, you have given it some thought? A ha ha ha ha ha!

(Before we start, let me just say all difficulty is relative. If you've never seen that one before, it's bound to be difficult. If you have, it's about as difficult as putting on a hat. If you saw that one, then proove that it's true, using maths. It is a maths problem, by the way, but you don't need maths to solve it.)

To anyone who moaned about the base camp being one mile wide: get out of the thirteenth century! The earth isn't flat!

The answer is.... [drumroll].... white! Because the only place that set of data can fit is the north pole. You don't need any more data than what is given.

Ah, children, you have given it some thought? A ha ha ha ha ha!

(Before we start, let me just say all difficulty is relative. If you've never seen that one before, it's bound to be difficult. If you have, it's about as difficult as putting on a hat. If you saw that one, then proove that it's true, using maths. It is a maths problem, by the way, but you don't need maths to solve it.)

To anyone who moaned about the base camp being one mile wide: get out of the thirteenth century! The earth isn't flat!

The answer is.... [drumroll].... white! Because the only place that set of data can fit is the north pole. You don't need any more data than what is given.

Well...yeah. We figured that our a couple of pages ago, even those htat had never heard it before.

Anyone wanting official documentation as to their status of genius need look no further; pending your sucessfull solving of this devilishly fiendish maths puzzle! Not one of the maths staff at my school knew the answer, or any of the AS class. (If you do know the answer, don't put it on straight away and spoil it or we may be forced to come round to your house and overturn your tables and paint the walls in clashing colours.)

A hunter walks south one mile, starting at base camp.

He sees a bear, and runs one mile east.

He then stops and runs north one mile and arrives back at base camp (no mistakes here, it's true!)

What colour was the bear?

It is solvable, there aren't any mistakes, and the solution does not involve wizards.

Heh. A classic riddle I know follows a similar line of thought.

Heh. A classic riddle I know follows a similar line of thought.

Ooh! Do tell! For some reason i've never heard of many of these classic riddles.